narrator: so the modern city has enormous economic importance. but the silk road and its modern replacements moved more than goods from east and west. lanzhou is also a cultural crossroads between the han peoples in the east and other ethnic groups from the west. the distinct profile of mosques can be seen all over the city. northwest china is home to many muslims. with a population of 80,000, the largest ethnic minority in lanzhou are called hui. throughout china today, there are 55 official ethnic minorities. of these, ten are muslim. the largest of these are hui. ( man delivering sermon ) narrator: although the hui have their own autonomous region in ningxia, other autonomous regions like xizang, or tibet, speak distinct languages. many in xinjiang, like the uighurs, speak turkic languages. many of these muslims feel oppressed by china for cultural and economic reasons. some seek a breakaway state of east turkistan. some have used violence, and the chinese government tries to crush their movement. hui are loyal chinese and are found throughout